When we awakened Sunday morning, there was a powdered sugar dusting of snow on the surrounding rooftops and the sky was thick and gray. The snow turned to stinging cold rain and high winds, but that only slowed us down a little bit.
We had tickets to the 9 am showing of the RAdio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular, so we were able to squeeze in a quick trip to the Starbucks in the concourse of Rockefeller Center, and got into the Music Hall just moments before the orchestra began.
I had seen the Christmas Spectacular when I was in college in (ahem) 1983, and I remember thinking that it was pretty cool. I also remember sitting high and way in the back in the balcony. This time, we had great orchestra level seats and with the exception of the pumpkin-headed man in front of me (see yesterday's post), we could see beautifully.
The Rockettes were amazing - the precision, the enthusiasm and the talent that they brought to the stage reflected countless hours of practice. As a former high school drill team member, I was blown away by their talent. And in the mark of true professionals, they made it look so easy. The Music Hall itself contributed to the performance. It felt like we were inside a jewel box - the lighting, the draped fabric, the sound - all made it a magical experience.
It was so strange to leave the Music Hall and to find out that it was only 11:00. We headed south to ABC Carpet and Home to view the eye candy there. Like Anthropology, ABC spends much effort on the displays and merchandising, and there's something to see everywhere that you look.
The girls were still excited about the Rockettes and were sure that with just a little practice, they could join the famous kick line. Unfortunately, the bathroom at ABC probably wasn't the best place to practice, but I guess when the mood strikes, you've got to kick.
The chandeliers on the first floor are everywhere - hung at different heights, and with a variety of light bulbs. The total effect is beautiful.
Joann and I probably could have spent several hours browsing through the seven floors of home furnishings at ABC Carpet and Home, but we started to get the impression that the girls weren't enjoying this part of the trip quite as much as we were. And they mentioned once or twice or twenty times that they were getting hungry.
After looking at this expression on Carey's face, we decided we couldn't or shouldn't torture them anymore, so we went to one of the cafes on the lower level of ABC for brunch. The food was quite good, but the service was almost non-existent.
After some sustenance, we were ready to again brave the nasty weather, and headed uptown toward Times Square. We saw lots of interesting windows along the way - including this one at Fish's Eddy.
When I was in NYC in 1983, Times Square was still seedy, dirty and more than a little scary. Now it's definitely a destination hub for travelers and tourists of all kinds. Families are welcome here now - and the giant Toys 'R Us situated there in the middle of the hubub confirmed it. I did manage to avoid Toys 'R Us on this Sunday afternoon 9 days before Christmas - Yahoo! - but we did visit M&M World. Have I been living under a rock? How did I not know that M&M World existed? And furthermore how on earth could I have imagined that you can fill three floors of a Times Square building with M&Ms and M&M paraphernalia? Just for the record, I have to say that the American economy is alive, well and thriving in Manhattan. People were buying M&Ms and M&M stuff - hand-over-fist! It was crazy. I will say that I did contribute a little bit to that buying madness. I made a custom mix of maroon and white M&Ms for my favorite Aggie, and have a few other custom mixes for other folks. Carey created a couple of mixes for friends for Christmas and I gawked at the 22 colors that M&M offers. Who knew?
That fuzzy shape in the back is the M&M World employee who was trying valiantly and ultimately succeeded - in gettting into the shot. It was a wild place - that M&M World - and on reflection, I'm not sure that it was any easier than Toys 'R Us would have been. As we left Times Square, I looked one more time at the ABC studios where Good Morning America and ABC World News Tonight are filmed. I felt sure that I would have seen Charlie Gibson. But - it was not to be. Not only did I not see Charlie Gibson, but I didn't see a single celebrity all weekend long! I offered a $5.00 reward to the daughter who saw the first celebrity, and came home with that same $5.00 still in my pocket. Disappointing, but that was the only disappointment of the trip.
The biggest mark of success of the trip was the fact that the girls asked if we could take a mother daughter trip annually. Joann and I are thinking a trip to Amish Country is in order for our teenagers, but they think Los Angeles is a better idea. I think we'll have to meet somewhere in the middle on that one.
We left Penn Station on the 5:05pm and headed south to Maryland, where I was reminded again that no matter how much I love to go away and do new things, the best part is coming home.
New York City showed us a great time and we loved our time with our girls. Now it's time to return to the reality of frantically boxing up gifts, finishing Christmas cards and getting to the post office.
Happy Tuesday!
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